Erik ten Hag has been gobsmacked how his decision to leave Jadon Sancho out of his squad for the game at Arsenal has opened the proverbial can of worms.
The Dutchman is stunned at the way his bust-up with his recalcitrant winger has spiralled after he had left the former Borussia Dortmund winger out of his squad for the trip to Arsenal as he decided the £73-million signing needed to be given a jolt after some poor displays in training. Sources close to Ten Hag claim he had harbored hopes that Sancho’s omission would give the 23-year-old the wake-up call the United boss felt he needed.
As a result, Ten Hag couldn’t help but feel immense disappointment when Sancho immediately responded with an incendiary post on his X account, defiantly claiming he had long been made a scapegoat for the team’s erratic start to the season.
Ten Hag is inclined to believe the issue has been blown out of proportion and feels it can still be resolved – with Sancho still in his plans if the latter can justify his inclusion in Ten Hag’s plans.
However, the former Ajax boss is also adamant that he cannot allow his authority to be openly challenged by a player.
It has been the belief that Ten Hag would not have stood in the way of shipping Sancho out of Old Trafford if United had been able to agree on a deal with the Saudi Pro League.